We abandoned our Spaceship (again), and stayed in a motel in Spring Creek just north of Blenheim. We then drove to Whites Bay beach, and had some nice views on the way.
It was a very quick swim, as the water was COOOOOLD. The lifeguard said it was 15C! But it was a beautiful beach.
The following day we got picked up at the motel by the bike rental company Bike 2 Wine, and taken to Renwick 10km away to pick up the bicycles. There are 25 cellar doors within a 5km radius! Equipped with the gear and a wine map, we were set to go.
Sauvignon blanc is the pride on the joy of this area, os of course we had to taste a lot of that wine.
Forrest Wines
Is owned by two doctors, who produce and prescribe a range of fine vinous medicines. We shared a tasting tray consisting of six wines: four whites and two reds. None of them impressed us enough to buy some.
Giesen Wines
Next wine stop was the Giesen winery, and we liked the organic sauvignon blanc 2013 so much that we bought a bottle! It has expressive, fragrant aromas of lime leaf, crushed nettles and lemon grass with a focused textural acidity on the palate showing elegance and restrained power.
Huia
Biking against a strong headwind was a struggle, but worth the effort. The Huia winery is a small fully certified organic vinyard. The organic 2013 sauvignon blanc show tropical fruit and elderflower on the nose and the palate with chalky lime minerality on the finish. We liked it so much that we bought two bottles! Biking is getting increasingly difficult!
Hans Herzog Estate
We did another tasting at Hans Herzog Estate, which has the largest selection of handcrafted organic wines. Our favourite was the Montepulciano red wine, which brought back wonderful memories of Italy. We enjoyed a cheese tray in the garden with another glass of our favourite red? It was a true European experience.
Moa Brewery
Here Andy's favourite was Moa Noir beer; Chocolate and richly roasted coffee beans dominate the senses with a full flavoured palate, giving Moa Noir a long smooth finish.Then we took a much needed nap on the grass in the sunshine.
Last stop was at the Makana Confection Chocolate Factory, which makes great chocolate. Bike 2 Wine picked up the bicycles at the motel (they will pick you up anywhere along the route should you get 'tired'), and it was a relief not having to bike in headwind the 10km back to Renwick - great service. It was a fun way to visit vineyards and see the area.
No comments:
Post a Comment
We do not share personal information with third-parties nor do we store information we collect about your visit to this blog for use other than to analyze content performance through the use of cookies, which you can turn off at anytime by modifying your Internet browser's settings. We are not responsible for the republishing of the content found on this blog on other Web sites or media without our permission. This privacy policy is subject to change without notice.